


Catalytic Caress

by Naveri



Category: Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: All main 4 are in love yall, Bad Ideas, Banter, Domestic Fluff, Domestic lauki, Drunk fools, Dumb promiscuous situations, F/M, Flirting, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Holding Hands, Kiki's knife, Lauki being dumb per usual, Lauren is dense af, Spicy, The dating is just an act hAhA, Trauma, What's in the liquor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-11 09:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naveri/pseuds/Naveri
Summary: The decision has been made after the events at the carnival and Lauren is going to be living with Kieran. It’s not even a day since she’s been there and already her sharp-eyed friend has found the assassin’s nest. But that’s the least of their worries when Kym decides to drag them to a festive light up maze, that ends more like a labyrinth and their adventure more like a trip.
Relationships: Lauren Sinclair & Kieran White, Lauren Sinclair/Kieran White, William Hawkes & Kym Ladell, William Hawkes/Kym Ladell
Comments: 28
Kudos: 124





	1. Trial Test

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and Happy Holidays! 
> 
> This is the other secret santa I had for the discord! My domestic lauki obsession hasn't cooled down yet and hey more fluff!? And some angst of course, and definitely spice, but not in the way you may think!
> 
> Trigger Warnings: 43 consequences are brought up in this, and need to be addressed in order for Lauki to heal here so we can progress ahead and have a good time!

When his partner had yanked him off into an alleyway to talk after an interesting announcement from Kym, it made him realize how alike him and Lauren really were. Or better yet, how comfortable they were with one another, yet also at the same time, their connection so extremely sensitive that if he were to touch her, he was sure he’d feel the shock. It was something he was still trying to deal with, it was new after all, he just needed to adjust to this weird phenomenon. This unbalancing of scales in his reality. His back pounded against the brick lining the wall as her grip loosened on his collar. Lauren's assertive tone cut the wind and her eyes told the story of the endless nights and ceiling stares. 

“Listen, you’re going to have to agree to go with me to Kym’s party. If you don’t, Kym will be really suspicious, and then Will ends up snooping into things and then we have problems.” She turns away with the realization; how foolish they were in thinking he could stay away from them. Kieran pushed off the wall, and he watched as she stepped back instinctively. Flipping his hair, he straightened his jacket and loosened his collar. “Thank you for telling me, I was going to ask, you know. And you really didn’t have to throw me against the wall.”

“I didn’t want to talk inside.” He watched her cross her arms, looking anywhere but him and holding on to some files as if they were her very lifeline.

He raised an eyebrow. “Okay, well you do know...we’re walking back together, right?”

Shock riddles Lauren’s face. _Had she forgotten?_ Kieran bit his lip. Something must be bothering her pretty badly if she forgot it would be their first night living together. 

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Lauren mustered a word. "Right...” 

“I know despite the circumstances, it’s not ideal, but we have a lot of advantages as a team by doing this.” He wasn't sure if the reassurance was for her or himself. His eyes watch her reddened fingers drift to her arm and squeeze gently. “I know. I just need...to adjust.” 

_I know all too well what you mean, darling._

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he looks toward the tilting sun lining the street. 

“Well, come on. Let’s get back so we can warm up.” She agrees, passing ahead to break into the open air of the sidewalk. 

Their shoulders bumped, their stride close and side by side in step as they fought the brutal chill of the midday sun. Kieran only gets a glimpse of the sunlight pouring onto her crimson locks, she’s a radiant glow of warmth in the winter, and he’s foolishly drawn to it. The idea of her staying with him has yet to settle in, he surmises it will come around the time when he wakes up tomorrow and finds her there in his apartment. She has a reason for leaving her home. He knows she’s mad at Tristan, but she hasn’t spoken up as to why. And he won’t pry for it. All he knows is that it’s safer for her to be with him, despite the circumstances and how they feel about it. Kieran bites back the words, unable to speak up about the potential threat she should look out for. _Bella._ Kieran takes a deep breath, the chill of the air swirling in the wind as it drifts to the sky.

 _I’ll keep quiet for now_ …he’ll deal with Bella. As long as he can manage to convince Lauren it’s better to walk with him to and from work.

They reached the familiar snow filled steps not too long after, the majority of the way kept in silence or contemplation. He couldn’t get a word out of her. Something was on her mind and he couldn’t figure it out. Kieran grabbed for his ice cold keys in his coat pocket, swiftly unlocking the door and standing aside for her to enter. The look in her eye was more than her usual pensive. She was sunken in thought, legs functioning but they moved on their own and her mind was floating in the abyss. _S_ omething happened at the carnival, and whether or not it was related to the case, she needed to open up to him if they were going to do this. Kieran looked around at his apartment. _This. Whatever this is._ There was too much at risk for silly rules and deals they thought they could handle. _That I thought I could handle. I broke it._ _I break everything._

Kieran shut the door with a little more force than he had meant and locked it with a click, kicking off his shoes and pulling away at his collar roughly. His calloused fingers slipped the two buttons from their latches. _Routine,_ and for good reason. But routine wasn’t going to happen much beyond this point. He swallowed, watching her place up her things and take off her shoes delicately. Her jacket came last, as if she was contemplating on taking it off or not. 

_We need to talk about this._

The dreadful thought of being an adult and talking it out was less than ideal. Not many people were ever very mature when it came to their feelings, including the both of them. But he already brought up his apology, he’d be a fool to bring up the incident again as if he were asking for forgiveness, when in fact, _I don’t deserve it. Even if you do say it. I don’t want it. I’ll cherish it for life, but I can’t accept it all the same._

She’s already made herself comfortable on the couch, scattering files every which way on his coffee table and demanding things from him. He hadn’t heard her apparently. Her sarcastic tone signaled his cue for a retort. “Do you just daze off in your house regularly? Is that a thing?”

Kieran cleared his throat, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it up beside hers. 

“Yes, actually. Just not like this. You know, normally, laying down.”

“Right. I asked you if you could make some coffee.”

He turned toward her, judgement riddling through him. _Is she serious?_ “This time I will. But after this cup you need sleep.”

Lauren scoffs, “Oh, already acting like my mother and we’ve been living together for approximately 5 minutes.”

“Have you looked in a mirror? Or perhaps you’re delusional.” Kieran stated blankly, smoothly walking to the kitchen to set up what the Queen of the household desired. He heard her next demand and he couldn’t help but crack a smile. _Foolish woman._

“Two cups.”

“One.” He shouted back, slowly rolling up his sleeves to his elbows.

“Three cups.” Her hard demand, more stubborn than the last.

As if that was going to make him budge. “One.”

Her reply was riddled with snark. “Three and a half.”

“Two,” he scoffed.

“Deal.”

Kieran waited for the coffee, turning to see her pushing papers off the table. “You are so stubborn, and stop making a mess already. You better pick up all your shit, I like this place clean.”

She threw her arms up at the mess, almost as if she was actually defensive of his statement. “I’m not a messy person, just--this….requires a lot of space. Calm down clean freak.”

Crossing his arms, he guided his eyes around his space and was in fact impressed he kept the cobwebs and dust away. "I'm not a clean freak, I'll have you know I'm relatively normal when it comes to the state of my living."

"Yes, that does come as a surprise to me,” Lauren replies, curious eyes peering at him through loose crimson locks. He stalled. _She was serious?_ Lauren noticed, clearing her throat, kicking up a leg and bending her knee to get comfy. "I meant...like, your drawings." Her lips pursed, eyes back on the files she brought. 

"Hmm. You like them?" He tapped away at his foot waiting for her response. Her genuine answer sent a flutter to his heart. "They're rather good."

Without catching her eye, he turned around to check the coffee. "Thanks. I've been doing it for awhile."

"It's a nice hobby." Her compliment sends him flying.

With a chuckle, he reaches for the mugs in the cabinet. "Do you have any? Besides snooping around precinct archives, ones you're banned from no less." Kieran can’t see her face, but he knows she’s sad. Frustrated. 

"I...did have hobbies. There's just never any time for them anymore." He knows it's a cover. About her snooping and finding answers...she has time. When he pours the coffee he turns to his partner frozen upon the couch. There's a tired and pleading look in her eyes as she peels them from the files and turns to him. Kieran can't bear it and looks away from her gaze, grabbing the mugs and heading toward her. She’s brought whatever it is here, meaning she could very well trust him enough to finally tell him. And it terrifies him. Whatever it is she's looking for, it's taking everything from her.

> _I can’t stand the look on you._
> 
> _As if you’re drowning._
> 
> _As if you’re hopeless._

When he nears her, he sets their mugs down upon the table and puts his hands on his hips at the sight before him. Her hand instantly reaches for the mug, placing it to her lips and sipping. He narrows his eyes. "You sleep in the bed tonight, and tomorrow I'll agree to two and a half cups.”

Lauren almost chokes on her coffee, clearing her throat with a growl. "You're monitoring my coffee intake now!? Are you serious?"

Kieran crossed his arms for the defiant wave headed his way. "Yes. But don’t worry, that doesn't include what you drink at work. I can't have you crashing or passing out on me while we're out on business. You're living with me now. There are _rules_ you know."

She gave a sly smirk, as if he was joking. "What kind of rules?"

He returns the smile, uncrossing his arms and grabbing for his mug. "Let's see...No shoes in the house. Oh! A really important rule. No bleeding on my rug." He contains the chuckle from her surprise. 

"Excuse me!?'

Plopping down on the couch next to her, he leans back. "You're also not allowed to bring any of your terrible choices of men here. I'm not here to be a witness to your failing dates." His smile only widens at his cocky response. Lauren is in fumes at his teasing and he continues to suppress the laugh. "Lauren, truly darling, have you ever actually dated anyone or do they run off before they can even get a kiss?" Kieran kicks up his feet onto the table, relaxing and sipping on his drink. Lauren's cheeks burn red while sipping on her coffee. He’s amused the way her eyebrow twitches. A pause happens between them and she retorts with a perk of her lips, the very thing that makes him laugh. "Not my fault they were _all liars."_

He tries to contain the chuckles of laughter, but she’s serious and it gets to him. He calms his laughter and places the mug back down on his chest, the bottom of the heated cup scorching fire into his bare skin. But it feels good despite the pain. He doesn’t _dislike_ the feeling.

"Even though they are your rules, they still apply to you too. Don't be bringing any strange women around in the middle of the night. I don't want to be a voyeur to that,” Lauren pointed out. 

Kieran belts out a full blown laugh this time. "Oh, darling. You really expect I’d ever bring someone here. To my place _?_ _The Purple Hyacinth’s Apartment?_ I can easily get an occasional one night stand but I've never brought anyone here before..." He pauses at the truth he admitted and she’s looking on at the obvious written on his face.

"Besides you, obviously."

She’s set aback by the truth, curling her lips in thought and tucking a strand of soft hair behind her ear. "Oh...um, right, I mean. Couldn’t really be avoided with what happened the first time.”

Kieran hums in agreement. “Mhm. It was bound to happen, if we were to keep secrecy, we needed a place to discuss our plans.” 

They both bordered on the topic. The place. The _moment._

She drinks in sips, huddling the mug and wrapped in a blanket she had taken from the couch. He was okay with the moment, and yet he was ready to break it. Ready to smash it to pieces because it wasn’t real, nothing was real until they got past the point of no return. But he realized she was more stubborn than he was. He just didn’t know how to bring it up. He couldn’t wait much longer. 

The two speak at once. 

“Lauren, I --

“I accept your apology, and your words...about my friends and me.”

He smiles, but it falls, elbows lifting himself up to sit straight and leaning over to place the mug down on the table. “You don’t have to accept it.”

The conflicted expression and the press of her brows twists his heart. She looked scared. “You...looked out for me. Back there with Bella...I panicked. I got scared. I was terrified.”

“That’s perfectly normal. It’s okay to be scared. I know how to handle those situations, it was nothing, really.” _I didn’t do it so you would forgive me._

“It wasn’t nothing, Kieran! I was going to go out there because I’m too selfish! She would have killed me and if she didn’t, I would have planted myself as the perfect suspect!” Lauren goes back to cradling her mug and the silence eats them alive. The weight of the secret grinded into him. What use would it truly do to keep it from her? “I talked to Bella. I can try to keep her away from you as long as I can.”

“What did you talk about?” Lauren asks, her back straightening and ears perking. 

“I told her you are my responsibility, considering you work at the precinct I’m spying on.” _It wasn’t completely a lie, she doesn’t have to know..._

“Is she a threat to me, would she go behind your back?”

“Yes.” His glare gives her the answer not to go after Bella. Lauren turns away as if caught in an act. Kieran refrains from saying anything more. _Bella would go behind my back and take the punishment for disobeying orders_ “I was going to tell you, I just thought you needed a break...from everything.” 

Biting her lip with acceptance she gives him a glare. “We can’t afford breaks. It’s better we inform each other, just in case. I’d like to be aware of my surroundings and who I’m looking out for.” 

Smirk slipping, his eyes pin her down. _Coming from someone who loves to hoard secrets._

“What?” She probes.

“Nothing,” Kieran states with nonchalance. She turns away with a frustrated and bashful knowing look. Kieran sighs, the weighted troubles leaving him as he speaks. “Look, if you don’t want to afford breaks, we need to address our situation.” 

She turns to face him. “What?”

He gives her a knowing look, the night that tears him apart resurfacing, but now that he’s here with her, he realizes maybe starting over was for the best. _Just not the way I wanted._ He crosses his arms, giving her a lookover. “If we’re going to be living together, we need to be a little bit more comfortable around each other, without this rift coming between us. And we need to go back _there_ eventually…” His finger points between them and twirls around in the air. 

Her hand instinctively goes for her neck, brushing against the back of it. “I know..., wait, we?”

“Hm?” He turns away innocently, pursing his lips and dwelling on his slip up. This time she gives him a knowing look. He can only take so much of her staring before he releases the breath he was holding. “I haven’t gone back since...with us..., but there’s some things I need to grab there that could prove useful later,” he suggests, relaxing his elbow on the edge of the couch and twirling a lock of his hair around his finger that was springing from his messy bun. His eyes couldn’t meet hers as he spoke, instead staring at his mug. 

The pep in her voice has him looking up, her smile small but it’s comforting. 

“Okay, tomorrow. We’ll go back together.”

He can’t pull back the relief escaping his voice. “You’re sure?”

“I-I haven’t forgiven you, yet...but I know it’s important we utilize as much as we have. I can deal with it.” 

“Alright then.” Kieran leans forward, grabbing his cup and leaning back into a comfortable position like before. He’s slouched, sinking into the cushions of the couch with his feet perched on the table and the mug cradled upon his chest. He listens to the soft voice next to him. “I’m sorry, Kieran.”

With a bit more surprise than he wanted, he asks, “Why are you apologizing?” 

He didn’t mean to sound judgmental, but she should never apologize to him, and yet she has before and now again. _Even if it’s her fault, I never want your apologies._

“Because we’re on the topic.” She states plainly. 

“Right…”

“Yes, you are.” Lauren agrees and his smile widens without a thought. “I know.”

She turns her head away from him, those glimmering rebel eyes of hers tryin to hide the smirk she’s suppressing. “I may be a selfish hypocrite, but it’s for something that’s important to me. It’s dear to me, and I can’t give up.”

Kieran doesn’t want to hear anymore. He doesn’t want to know. The words Bella spoke to him echo against the walls of his mind. _Just make sure she doesn’t charm you._ “I understand.”

“It’s wrong…” she admits wearily. 

“You care, but you need to realize you’ve been chasing dead ends for way too long, and now that you had a taste of something...no one can blame you for reacting the way you did.” _Please, don’t apologize anymore._ But he curses himself as it slips from her lips. 

“I’m not just sorry about that.” The weight of what comes next is too much for him and the worry etches into his face. Lauren can’t look away from him as she speaks. 

“I shouldn’t have stormed to the cave that night. I didn’t even consider what you were going through. Your mission wasn’t long prior and yet, I was selfish by only thinking about myself. A team takes the mutual understanding and the perception of the other, and I didn’t have any of that. It wasn’t just you that broke the deal, I will take some responsibility for being--”

Before he knows it, his hands are curling, tongue plastered to the roof of his mouth. _Stop. Stop. Stop._ “Stop.” His tone isn’t assertive, nor a plea. He’s just tired. 

“What?” she nervously asks. 

Something in his eyes scares her, the way the light leaves the ocean and his frown forming into a thin line. “You don’t need to burden the thought of what I deal with after I do my job. It’s fine, you didn’t have to apologize, but I accept it. I was waiting for you there regardless, I knew you would come blazing in the way you did, to an extent.” He leaves the tail of it to a joke, the dimples upon his cheeks appearing as he looked away. 

Kieran feels her stare, but she plays along. “You were in fact right, subordinate.” 

The silence is back as he tries to find the words. To admit what he’s always been thinking. “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d try to stop me.”

“Okay, maybe you do know me pretty well.” Lauren admits, an understanding finally coming between them. 

He points out thoughtfully. “You know you would have been a liability,” 

She groans at his harping. “I know.” 

They both sigh with some relief, giving one another a long look. He can’t look away, even as she asks quietly. “Will you do something for me?”

“Hmm?”

“You said we needed to get past this, right?”

“...Yes,” he agrees nervously.

She’s looking at him oddly, setting down her mug that’s now empty and standing tall. 

“Stand up.” She points in front of her beside the couch and the coffee table still littered with the very thing that pulls at her soul. 

Reluctantly, he stands, and for the first time in a long while, he feels extremely nervous for his life. _Does she want to spar, in the house?_ “Another rule, darling. No fighting in the house. Verbal or physical.” Her face lights up with the radiance he sought back on their walk to the apartment, and then she’s suppressing her chuckle, as if he’s the one she’s laughing at. _She is laughing at me._

“I’m not asking you to fight. It’s a stupid idea, forget it.” Lauren goes to turn but he speaks out.

“No.” He reaches to grab for her arm as she begins to sit. He pulls away. With a snap she crosses her arms. “Okay, stop that.”

He sighs, guilt playing in his eyes. “My reflexes are fast.”

With reassurance, her hand comes out to touch his arm briefly. “We’re trying to get past this, right?”

“...Okay. What did you have in mind?”

She studies him for a hot second, facing him with a little more confidence. She flips away her long locks with both hands until they cascade along the back of her shoulders. Her fingers fall to her blouse, slowly unbuttoning the top of the collar until her neck lay bare. Kieran froze the moment her hands reached the buttons, utterly confused on what she was planning. He couldn’t think, couldn’t feel. 

“Touch my neck.” She speaks gently, that confidence lasting all but a few seconds.

_What?_ “What?"

“Just do it, brush your fingers over my neck.” It’s a statement, and her emotions are none but void from her tone. 

“I can’t.”

“Please.” This time, he hears it. The plead of a deeply rooted fester that keeps her up at night, reminds her every time she passes a mirror. Any brush to the skin that’s healed from his clutches. Kieran swallows dryly, the feel of the weight of a thousand suns upon his right arm as he lifts it toward her. His elbow bends and his fingers dip beneath her jaw. They held their breaths and he’s frozen on her stare that pulls him in. His fingertips brush her pulse, the feel of her soft skin poisoning his veins and breaking him down. When his thumb tickles the front of her neck, he freezes. Releasing the air he could no longer contain, he breaks the stare she had on him. By instinct, his arm shoots away but her hands grab for him, her fingers tightly gripping onto his skin until it burns red.

“I knew you would pull away. Let’s try again. I barely felt anything,” she harps, tugging at him as he tries to remove himself from her grip. He’s basically cowering away from her. Nervously, Kieran asks. “I don’t know about this...shouldn’t you give it more time?”

Her snap is winded. “I don’t have time.”

The pathetic excuse doesn’t impress him and he tugs on her tightened grip. “You can make time.”

Her hands grip tighter. “We don’t have time!” With a sigh, he rolls his eyes. “Darling, I have plenty of time to atone for my sins.”

“We need to make this work, remember.”

He rips a hand from his arm, turning away from her gaze that heats him to the core. 

“I think at least talking about it was enough. This feels wrong.”

“Why?” She’s loosened her hold but he doesn’t have the heart to pull away when she’s looking on as if she’s the one at fault. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he admits quietly. 

**“** I trust you this much to know you won’t try to hurt me, Kieran. Can you trust _me_?” 

His heart skips a beat. _She really wants me to do this?_ “Yes, I trust you.”

“Okay, try again.” Her hands release from his arm finally and he hovers forward slowly, long digits tracing her neck, palm flattening against her rapid pulse and fingers tightly weaving into the threads of hair at the base of her neck. His thumb rests comfortably behind her ear. Subconsciously, he caresses the soft skin. 

_How could I have hurt her the way I did? She’s so delicate. So small._

Lauren by now had closed her eyes, but she didn’t look like she was in pain. _Is it actually working? Is this really okay?_

He pulls away slowly this time, trailing his fingers along her neck and letting them gently fall along the crevice until it meets her collarbone. They both sigh in relief and turn away from each other. The question confidently breaches and slides along his tongue, but his heart is terrified of the answer. “So, are you still afraid of me?” 

“A little, but it helped.”

“It’s a start,” he sighs, relief flooding in. She gives him a confident smile. “And you didn’t trust me.”

Kieran peers at her oddly. “It was questionable.”

“It was a trial. I wanted to test something I read in a book,” she admits sheepishly. 

Kieran perks up his tone, a curious smirk riding on his lips. “Oh?” But he loses all confidence when her eyes shine at him with a hope that she can move past something that he did to her. _I hurt her._ “The only way to overcome your fears is to face them. Facing you wasn’t enough. If I can overcome it by getting used to the touch then maybe I could move on, but obviously...in a way no one gets hurt.” 

“So, you resorted to me caressing and holding your neck as opposed to hurting you?”

Lauren blushes, the way he says it out loud sounds utterly scandalous. “Don’t make it sound so--!”

“What? Sound so?” Kieran asks with interest.

“So...intimate.” Lauren furrows her brow and bites her lip. 

The two of them freeze on the spot. Kieran coughs, dipping a strand of hair behind his ear. “I guess it is, but we are playing an act to get through this.”

Lauren’s eyes scan the room. “Yeah, but no one is here.”

“We’re...practicing?” Kieran regrets the word as it slips from his mouth. Because now that it’s out, he’s insinuating an entire box full of things he didn’t want to open. He felt guilty, when in fact she seemed oblivious. 

“You’re making this worse.” Her eyes linger off, a bored thoughtful expression upon her face.

His hands shoot up as he steps back. “I didn’t suggest anything else.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“You said it with your eyes, I saw,” he says with accusation, lifting his jaw and eyeing her down. 

“You’re delusional.” Lauren’s brow contorts in denial and she scoffs, grabbing her coffee to step by him, but he blocks her way, grabbing the cup. She doesn’t pull away at first, and he tugs. “Give me the mug, darling.” 

“I can do it,” she snaps.

“Just hand it over.” He tugs at it again, ripping it from her fingers and sighing. Her way of distracting him off topic wasn’t going to work. “You haven’t thought about all the situations or possibilities that we may end up in, have you?” he asks, making sure to walk away from her before he brought it up. Kieran scrubs the mugs thoroughly, feeling the regret swarming inside of him. Her silence feels like an eternity. He hears her hum in thought, and a small tinge of disappointment strikes his heart. 

“I...guess not. I was preoccupied with a lot of other things.”

Hiding the disappointment, he responds, “The alibi. I figured we were on the same page, I just...wasn’t expecting to drop it in a moment like...you know, in the middle of the precinct." 

She sheepishly chuckles. "Well, we have been pretty reckless with our conversations. We should try to keep it to a minimum at the precinct." Kieran hums in agreement, going about rinsing the mugs. He turns the facet off and dries his hands. Lauren's been silent for a moment, _again._ But then she asks the question. "So what exactly...in particular did you mean by situations or possibilities we could end up in?" Her naïve tone is so adorable he bites his lip to hold the smile.

"For our alibi,” he states. 

He folds the towel, walking back over to stand back where she's at. She's still standing for whatever reason and he gives her a thoughtful look. "Well, for instance. Eventually, we may be in the spotlight with your friends. Kym in particular. She’s a catalyst to things we don’t want happening, meaning she may cause trouble for us."

He watches as she quirks an eyebrow and she asks, "What would Kym do? I don’t follow." 

_Is she playing me right now? She can’t be this dense._ "She's your best friend and you don't know? Kym is the kind of woman who's going to want to see proof. We got off last time thanks to Will, but eventually we’ll end up cornered."

"Proof...how do we prove we're dating? There's no contract,” she asks confused. Kieran sighs with his defeat, pinching the bridge of his nose and chuckling. _Seriously, she requires contracts for dating?_ He would have to ask Ladell later if it was true. "You are not this dense, Sinclair. Don't you get it? There's going to be times where we're put into uncomfortable situations with one another all for the act."

A little smirk appears on her face. "Yes, being seen in public with you is humiliating enough."

He scoffs in return, her innocence was appalling. "Which is why I'm telling you this. You're clearly not prepared if that's the worst you imagine." She rolled her eyes at his judgement, "Holding hands isn't a big deal, Kieran."

Stepping forward, Kieran leaned in to brush a coat of hot air against her neck. "And what happens when you have to kiss me?" He asks with a whisper. Kieran pulls back to get a good look at her expression. She’s slowly coming to the realization, and it’s utterly adorable. He gives her a pointed look but a serious one nonetheless. There were a lot of things they hadn’t discussed, but living with each other was going to change that. They’d be around one another a lot more, things were bound to come up. _Like this one._ Kieran’s hand twitched again, the desire to draw something still weighing him down to escape this torment he’s being put through. When he’s given her a minute to absorb the information, he gently smiles. 

"Do you understand?"

"Yes...but, practicing that is so..." Lauren blushes, covering her mouth and turning away from him. 

_So scandalous._

Running a hand through his hair, he looks at her with shock. "I'm not asking you to practice! Gods, are you that bad that you need practice?" He jokes, scratching his head. Lauren freezes, her other hand raising to cover her face. She withers up and hides away from him. He lifts a hand to grab for her shoulders but drops the weight, an apology on his tongue. 

"I've never had a real kiss," Lauren admits, eyes casted to the floor and her fingers fiddling together.

He reassures her, "There's nothing wrong with that. But that poses a problem for us."

"What do you mean?" She faces him, finger shooting to her lips and her teeth biting away at her nail. 

With a quirk of his head and his eyes drawn to her, he spreads his arms, looking down at himself with a scoff. "You can't possibly think I'd ever let your first real kiss be _me_ , right? Perhaps, we may have to find you a terrible date after all."

She shoots forward, wild eyes staring up at him. "What!? No way! I don't want to be kissed by some random lying piece of shit!”

_Does she want to kiss me over them?_

He can’t smile at the thought, concern breaking through. “You’d rather be kissed by the Purple Hyacinth?”

Lauren’s fingers fall to her locks, fiddling with her hair and the same lip biting maneuver in full play. “I mean, at least I know you better than some random person.”

Kieran chuckles. “That doesn’t make this any better.” 

Her voice trembles for a moment, clearing her throat and keeping her eyes away from him. "It's fine...if we have to do it. We will if we have to, I’m sure. It's not real, so it doesn't even count.`”

_Ouch._

"Exactly, Officer." His voice doesn’t reach as much as he wanted, the struggling sound of it making his knees weak. He agreed with a smile and sat back down to relax, kicking up his legs and spreading his arms across the top of the couch. Kieran sighed, laying his head back and closing his eyes to the world. Lauren slowly sat down, stiff as a board and thighs squished together. Her hands neatly placed themselves on her lap as she sat on the edge of the couch. Her tone is as fragile as her stature. "What if we did practice…kissing...?" 

He rolls his head toward her. "I feel that would cause...many issues considering we live together now."

The naïve tone is back. "What kind of issues?"

He doesn't answer her, rolling his head back around to stare at nothing in particular. _Like the idea of not wanting to stop there._ Lauren leans forward toward him. "It's not a big deal."

He still doesn't speak, picking at some fray on the cushion and looking at it intently. _Not a big deal until you’re in my bed, and we’re both full of regret. Until you've slipped away from me because you've seen the real me._

"Kieran." Her voice is pungent, and a little angry even. _Why does she keep pressing this?_ He stops his fingers from tugging on the loose string. "What?" He snaps a little harsher than he had meant.

The confidence is breaking from her shell. "That's a no?"

_Of course it’s a no, you’ve already charmed me, next you’ll steal my heart, and that's all I have left to offer._

With a sigh, he gives her a gentle smile fit with an ocean of warmth stirring in his eyes. "Oh please, Lauren. You say these things now but the moment you go for it you'll lose your wits." He goes back to picking at the thread, right now he could be drawing, not having this ridiculous conversation about them kissing. 

"Come on, then." Lauren perks up, standing and giving him her hand. 

He looks up at her, tucking a messy bang behind his ear. "This isn't a good idea." 

“Are you scared, Kieran?” Her taunt eggs him on but he refuses, instead looking away from her again. She sits back down in her spot, but this time so much closer. She’s leaning into him now, head falling to his arm spread out on top of the couch. Kieran turns to face her, and they both pause. 

“You said we have to get comfortable with the idea…” she whispers, now that her lips are inches from his. 

“Not what I meant, _darling.”_ His sharp tongue produced a beat of hot air upon her nose. He can hear her rapid breath, her slender hands still fidgeting with locks of crimson. 

_I can’t be her first kiss, that’s not fair to her._

He turns his head away from her, exhaling and stretching. His knee bumps hers, the feel of her hand shooting out to grip his thigh to hold him in place. Something in him took control, his head turning back to her. She peered up at him with doe eyes and her delicate hands came to a stop at his inner thigh at the weight of his gaze. He only prays she doesn’t see the way his eyes shift to take a glimpse at her lips, and then again to those smoldering fire orbs that she possesses. Her panic is apparent, nervousness pouring from her, and hand lifting away from his thigh as if only to realize now what her implications could have been. Lauren leans forward slowly, and his hand instinctively shoots forward to take a dive beneath her jaw, and a dip into her _trial test_. His cool fingers brush lovingly along her neck to pull her in, her eyes a different kind of gradient than he was ever used to. 

> It’s not real. 
> 
> _It's not real, so it doesn't even count._
> 
> _Of course not, it would never make sense._
> 
> _It would never be something I could cherish._

His heart lurches as she leans in and he’s one push forward until the seal has been made. Until he’s given in and thrown away a care. She’s closed her eyes, but he can’t move forward. His hand draws circles upon her neck, soft locks of red twisting into his finger in thought. She’s waiting for him because _it’s her real first kiss._ It’s so adorable to think someone like her cares for something like that. Their foreheads meet and he dips his head, turning slightly as the sides of their noses brush. His bottom lip curls beneath her parted lips for a moment and he feels the smallest touch of her wet heat, but his thoughts scatter as a knock on the door jolts them from one another. He pulls back first, Lauren in a daze and staring at him in thought upon the couch. Kieran pulls away from her hand that now clutches to his shirt, jumping over the couch with ease to head toward the door. He took a moment to look through the hole before turning to Lauren and whispering a curse.

“Who is it? Kieran?”

Kieran clicks his tongue, a worried expression written on his face. 

“It’s the very catalyst we were trying to avoid.”


	2. A Flask for Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader: "Who's at the door, Dad?"
> 
> Your Dad: (Look if you want it to be Kieran, it's okay, I'm not judging). "IT'S YOUR CRAZY FRIEND FROM SCHOOL. I told her to stop coming here!"
> 
> _Opens door_
> 
> "HI, I'M KYM LADELL!" _munching on watermelon in between speaking and spitting juice all over the place_
> 
> Yeah, Kym is that crazy kid who's also the neighbor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There really isn't any specific POV for this.

“How’d she find your place?” The very nerves of Lauren's tone crawled into his spine, like the dread he felt when his precious ink spilled upon his art.

“What do you think?” Kieran smirks as he watches her stack the files she had brought with her onto the windowsill in the corner. He turns, grabbing for his glasses to neatly place them upon his nose and opens the door with nonchalance. 

“Oh, hey you two. How’d you find my place? Snooping around in my file?”

Kym nudged Will in the ribs, a quirky smile on her face. “Shit, he’s good. He already got us.” His Lieutenant stood at the door, bundled up in a heavy beige coat and black scarf. The scowl on his face said he’d been forced out with Kym for the night. 

“You mean he caught _you._ Sorry, Kieran. It wasn’t me, she dragged--”

"HUSH NOW WILLIAME!" Kym yelled, stuffing her palm against his cheek and grinning at Kieran. He gave Will a sympathetic look, stepping away and letting them in. Kym flew by Kieran, running over to Lauren. “Hey, Lauren! How’s the new home?”

Lauren’s eyes lit up in surprise, “What? How did you know?”

Kieran’s eyes honed in on Kym. His very space occupied with more people than it ever had been before. It was an odd nostalgic sort of feeling. And somehow it felt right despite the pain.

“Oh. Your Uncle.”

Lauren made her way to the couch. “Oh, you probably stopped by there first, huh? Sorry, I probably made you guys walk a long way. I was going to tell you, it all just sort of happened...after Sake’s murder." She scratched the back of her head, giving her best friends a light hearted smile. 

“I know! It’s not a big deal,” Kym replied, her eyes catching the stack of files near the window.

“Uh, actually we took my car.” Will pointed out.

“Oh? What’s the occasion?” Lauren smirks at the two of them, ready to throw them into the fire for showing up unannounced. Kym catches on, looking between Kieran’s half unbuttoned shirt and messy hair. The first thing she had noticed were the two buttons released upon her best friend’s collar. Lauren didn’t even do that in her own house. Lauren’s cheeks were still flushed red and her lips wet. 

“Actually, occasion can wait. Did we uh, interrupt something?” Her sly smirk revealed itself, pinning her eyes between the two of them. _Ball is in your court, Lauren._

“Kym, leave them alone.” Will yelled, leaning against the wall with Kieran who watched Kym prowl to the couch and analyze Lauren with keen interest.

Shifting his legs, Kieran tried to repress the sigh, the regret looming over him. _I almost kissed her. I almost stole that from her. These two were a total blessing in disguise._

“Did...something happen, though? Lauren seems out of it,” Will whispered.

“I’m not sure, she hasn’t talked to me about it, I just know she’s mad at Tristan.” He shrugged, not giving it another thought. _I don’t care._

Will’s next words, Kieran knew, were more of a way to test if he was aware of the secrets she held. “I’m afraid it might have something to do with her research.”

“Yeah, I surmise the same.” Kieran assumed it had something to do with the photograph she found and the relation to snapdragon and her parents. _It’s not my business._

Kym broke him from his thoughts as she tugged Lauren to the front door. “Let’s go!”

“Where!?” Lauren cried out, tugging away from the maniac. 

“To a MAGICAL MAZE! AND, I brought alcohol, soaked it in fruit for over twelve hours too. Tastes AMAZING!” She wiggled her eyebrows in anticipation.

Will raises his hand in decline. “Yeah, I’m not drinking that, I have to drive, did you forget?” 

“Nonsense, I can drive. I have a high tolerance. I’m sure I can burn it off by the time we get out of this _magical maze”_ Kieran’s beaming smile was little to no reassurance for the couple that had come bursting in. 

Lauren watched him with surprise, the interesting truth revealed to her. “No, it’s fine Will. He’s right. Why not enjoy yourself, you worked so much this week.” Her best friend reluctantly agrees after a still moment between the four of them. 

“Come on! This is exciting. We haven’t all done anything together yet.” Kym chirped up, bouncing on her toes and the pleading in her eyes pulling the guilt from the three of them. The words _double date_ hovered over the four of them like the plague and the silence ate them alive. 

“I guess you’re right.” Lauren mumbled, her fingers gliding along her arm and squeezing. 

Kieran hasn’t moved, the implications of the situation becoming a bit too much for his introverted nature. The room is getting hot and the pressure is cooking. His heart swims in a pit of molten lava and his breath is snuffed of the ability to breathe calmly. Kym’s eyes find him and she lets go of Lauren. His Sergeant held her chin with her fingers, squinting at him in thought. It had him flinching and pushing further against the wall, the only thing he could focus on being the sweat beading slowly down his temple. “What is it, Ladell?” 

“Hmmm...no. No. This isn’t going to work.” 

“What?” The nervous stutter was hardly suppressed and he cursed himself.

With a whine, Kym stomped. “Do you have to wear the glasses?” 

Lauren spit with a laugh, wiping away at her mouth with her sleeve and turning away in embarrassment. Will sighed, ready to apologize again on behalf of the curious girl, while Kieran chuckled, giving the room a peculiar smile. 

“Not necessarily, **however if I’m going to drive, I should probably wear them.”**

Kym mumbled, her gaze lingering over his form that wouldn’t sway even if you pushed him. “Hmm, fair point. There’s something else though…”

“Kym, seriously.” Lauren deadpanned. 

Her loud and sudden gasp made them all jump, including Kieran who flattened against the wall. “THAT’S IT! Your hair. Half up, half down? Fully down? Braided? High bun? No, it’s cold…”

The heated scorching fire that was the very spotlight Kym was placing him in was burning him to a crisp. Will smacked Kym over the head and barked at her. “Kym! Will you stop making him uncomfortable?”

“It’s just a way to get to know someone, I just want to see, that’s all,” Kym pouted, crossing her arms and turning away from them. Kieran smiled, the little things becoming a trend in making him lighthearted. With a pull of his ribbon, he let the locks fall to his shoulders. He felt the stare of his partner while he pulled half of his hair up into a high bun, the rest of the dark caresses falling along his collarbone and a few strands curling along his face.

“Kym.” Lauren nudged the sulking girl with a roll of her eyes. She caught a glimpse of Kieran, and smiled. 

“YES! That’s perfect. Don’t you agree, Lauren? Thanks for not helping me convince him by the way, sheesh.” Kym growled, heading for the door, swinging it open with glee and hopping down the stairs. Will threw Kieran the keys, following Kym and Lauren shrugged with a smile, knowing damn well he was okay doing something _normal_ for a change.

* * *

Will ended up in the front passenger seat not even halfway through the drive, mainly because Kym had no idea where this _Magical Maze_ was. They were lost already, but Kieran knew his way around well enough. 

“I can’t believe I let you handle this. I’m such a fool!” Will scoffed, Kym barking in protest. “It’s because I’m not driving!”

“No, it’s because you’re drinking all the alcohol back there.” 

Kieran smiled at the sound that lifted his heart, the warm and floaty sounds of the giggles erupting from the backseat. 

“I said the 7th precinct, idiot!” Kym screamed from the back. 

Kieran didn’t have to see Will roll his eyes to know. “No, you said the 9th.”

“7th!”

“Clearly, you said the 9th, we all heard it.” 

Kieran intervened the two from throwing retorts any longer, attempting his best at being the mediator. “I know what park she’s talking about, it’s fine.” 

Kym whispered loudly to Lauren to lie for her sake and the giggles rose back up. Will snatched the bottle, baffled that his Sergeant had the audacity to open the bottle on the way there. He drank from it and held onto it tightly, knowing any moment now Kym would snake her hands around to try and grab for it. As if on cue, her fingers came out to tickle his stomach and he cracked a laugh, pulling away and swatting at her. 

“Kym! Seriously, no more until we get there.” 

“Why are you such a buzzkill!?” Kym shot forward for the bottle, grabbing at Will’s tie to reel him in. Her other hand barely gripped the bottom of the glass bottle all the while her eyes caught the steady hand of Kieran shooting out to steal it from them. The assassin laughed, taking a swig with one hand on the wheel. “ARE YOU DRINKING AND DRIVING!?” Lauren belted with a motherly scream, tugging on Kieran’s hair and receiving a flurry of curses from the man. He gripped the wheel tightly with his left hand, trying not to crash from being tugged backward. “Lay off, I’m a professional!” He shouted to the hyena in the back, handing Will back the bottle and away from Kym’s grabby hands. With a firm push in the face and with the help of Lauren grabbing her waist, Kym was safely secured in the backseat, cross-armed and pouting. 

“I can’t believe this is happening.” Will stated, staring down at the bottle. 

“It’s fine, live a little,” Kieran reassured. 

The sound of hiccups came from the back, followed by Lauren laughing. Will took another swig, humming in thought as he swished the liquid about. “Kym. This tastes weird.”

Kym’s retort had Lauren laughing again. “You’re weird,” 

“Tastes good to me.” Lauren purred, shaking a bottle she had hidden the entire time. Will groaned, the relief settling in as they pulled up to the abundance of lights coming into view. Kieran parked quickly, wanting to escape the screams of the drunk women he was forced to be with. _Is it really forced?_

“OH MY GOD, LOOK AT ALL THE LIGHTS!” Kym screamed to the wind, piercing the ears of every occupant in the car and possibly the neighborhood.

“Don’t take the bottle, idiot!” Will shouted out to the girls stumbling out of the car. Kieran sighed with a smile, stepping out and reaching for Lauren who swayed and bumped against the car. With a strong grip, he grabbed for the bottle, ignoring the whine and turning his back. He swung the door open to nestle the contents nicely between the seats. He clapped once, everything secure minus Kym who was already sprinting ahead toward the ticket booth. 

“ _May the heaven’s above have mercy upon my soul. Lord, please watch over me while I tread this bright hellscape maze with the very woman that will drive me to my death_.” 

Will prayed off to the side, his frown apparent and worry coming to life. A thought came to Kieran, opening the car and searching through the compartments. _So, he does have one._ He grabbed the shiny flask hiding away beneath some papers, shaking it for any content. He spun the lid quickly, grabbing for the alcohol and pouring it in. With the rest, he reached in his pocket for his own flask, filling it up and topping off the bottle. With a slam of the door, he rounded the car and pounded the flask into Will’s chest to knock him from his terror daze. “You’re probably going to need this.”

“You’re right. She just can’t find out.”

Kieran gave an innocent smile and winked, his tone dripped in subtly. “You don’t have to worry about that. As long as she doesn’t get her hands on you.” 

  
  


**30 Minutes Later**

“Will, maybe this way!” Kym tugged on his jacket sleeve, pulling him along through the maze they’d been lost in for approximately fifteen minutes since the unfortunate split up with Lauren and Kieran. “Kym, slow down! Stop tugging on me.” 

“NO, NO! This way!” They took a hard left, going down another endless row of hedges littered with blinding festive lights. “Just admit it, Ladell. We’re lost.” 

“I was certain…” she ponders, releasing the iron grip and pacing. 

“I’ve been certain since the moment you mentioned maze.” Will sighed, turning away from her to look up at the night sky; a world’s ceiling coated in a dark paint of blue and sparkles of light to puncture its canvas. The crisp air cooled the tip of his nose and ears. He felt pretty good right now despite the circumstances. And here he was, so _sure_ the alcohol was out of his system from running around in the cold for almost twenty minutes. Kym’s gasp brought his head back down to reality and his world spun, watching as she jumped forward, but all he saw was the way she spun like a pinwheel, colorful in her attire of reds and greens. _She’s beautiful._ Kym was preparing to latch onto his arm and further drag him through the hellish maze, but his arm instinctively shot out, taking her wrist and pulling her against him, only to step forward until she sunk against the hedges. 

“I’m leading.” He whispered against her lips. 

Kym held her breath, melded like a goddess within the festive lights and dark greenery of the hedges. "Okay," she agreed with a whisper. 

Will stepped back, clearly in a daze. "Will…? Are you okay?"

He could see it. The way she shaped and formed into the hedges like it was her very throne. As if she was the goddess of holidays and happiness, the joy of a bright smile, the scorching of the sun he loved since the day he could remember. She was a priceless painting, frozen in time with the assortment of whites, blues, greens, and reds, blending like color on water. She was the palette of color to his world. The sparkle of the night sky.

_The light of my life._

“Will…?” Kym pushed away off her throne, waddling toward him like a wave along a coursing night. He couldn’t manage the words, too busy trying to focus on what was happening. Her brows perked up and she bounced on her toes the closer she came. His hand reached out, the calculations of his brain completely off as she stood to his right and his arm extended out toward the left. Her giggles make him sway.

“Kym...the alcohol...” He mumbled, stepping back to fall against the hedges. His head rushed as he fell and his lean body sunk into the greenery. She busted into a laugh, his form now flattened and tangled amongst the lights. 

“You look like a tree ornament.” Will grinned up at her. Kym cackled and held her sides, stumbling around to try and gain her bearings. Heat upon his chest bursted from the sound of her laugh. It dawned on at him; the heat and compression he felt was the uncontrollable and tear-filled laughs coming from his very own mouth _._

_I've been laughing with Kym the entire time? What is happening? Am I this drunk?_

Kym springs out a hand, spread wide and inviting. _Spread wide and inviting..._ Will flushed at the words drilling into his brain, his eyes solely on the way Kym bent forward and the sparkle of her irises like sweet pools of chocolate pudding. The blonde-haired man finally managed to get himself onto his feet from the hedge he sunk into, with the help of Kym mostly who reeled back, still giggling, but there’s a certain bashful look upon her adorable face as if she had read his dirty mind. 

“Hey Williame, wanna know why they call it the Magical Maze?” She’s laughing in between her words. Her eyes wait in anticipation for his answer as he rolls his eyes.

“Because it looks magical?” _You’re so stupid, that was such a dumb answer!_

Kym spins in place, fingers sprinkling non-existent dust into the air as she balances on her left leg. Then she snaps, clapping her hands together to make him physically jolt. Will blinks, clearly trying to keep focus on the way the colorful lights mess with his vision. “No, idiot! The myth of the maze. A maze magical in ways that are unexplained. People say...it can take you to ANOTHER WORLD!"

With a roll of his eyes, he starts walking, ready to escape the rainbow hell. “That’s such bullshit, there haven’t been any reports of missing people that would link to this place.”

Kym skipped up next to him, parading around and spinning. “Well, no. That’s because they have to come back, they can’t stay there forever. It’s just the law of the world!”

“Kym, it’s a maze. They get lost, it can feel like another world.” Will swayed as he kept walking, the loving lull of Kym’s voice and cheerful vibration sending waves of comfort into his body. _Hmm...wait, huh?_ The Lieutenant turned, swaying again as he grabbed for his head. _This is the weirdest drunk I’ve ever been._ But the feel of her energy was sending sparks into his veins and it felt _so real._

_As if I could really feel her energy soaking into me._

“JUST BELIEVE, WILLAME!!!” Kym called out to the sky, raising her arms and bursting into a run. She blazed right by his form that was still as a statue. “WILL!!!! Let’s go find the foolish lovers, maybe we’ll catch them in the act.” 

“Hmm, or they are as drunk as you are and completely lost." His scoff riding with his chuckle as he followed after her. Will halted when he heard a faint adorable squeal of an animal. His body shifted to a turn, eyes scanning over the empty path they had come from. With a click of his tongue, he moved into a jog to catch up with his Sergeant. 

_Magical Maze, yeah right._

  
  


**_Meanwhile..._ **

The arch of the warm golden lights set up from above coated the two unsuspecting forms like the familiar bask of the moonlight they were so used to. The silence was harrowing, minus the gentle howl of the bristling wind. The sparkles of the festive lights lining the hedges shimmered in the peripherals of the woman slowly maneuvering through the agonizing maze, feet in a stumble and contemplating whether or not she may have had one too many drinks on the way here. The gnaw at her lip grew sore the longer her feet dragged over the fresh fallen snow. Kieran walked slightly ahead of her, keen on being the one to find their way around. 

_Admit it, Purple Hyacinth. You’re lost._

Things hadn’t gotten any less awkward once they were alone. The recent rush of heat creeping back in when she fell to a trance upon the touch of his lips and the whisper of his words lingering in her heart. “ _This isn’t a good idea.”_

_I’m just curious for more, that’s all. It’s not him, it’s just my curiosity about kissing, I’m not getting any younger._

With her lips too sore to bite, her teeth gnawed along the inside of her cheek, long lashes fluttering up to catch a glimpse of Kieran’s broad shoulders. A soft beige scarf slung over his jacket and the tail of it trailing down his back as it fluttered happily in the wind. 

“Will you just admit you’re lost,” she quipped.

Something like disbelief escaped the assassin’s lips. “I’m never lost.” Lauren rolled her eyes, staring down at the way her feet plowed through the snow. “It was stupid to come here.”

“I think this place is lovely.” Kieran stops, turning to spread his arms to look around with great endearment. Her eyes widened as the golden hues of light poured down to accent his features and his beaming smile causing a stutter in her heart. _An Angel?_ The way his arms pooled beneath the lights into the shape of wings, whirlpools of summer skies reeling her in when he looked her way. “Lauren?” She hadn’t realized her stare, or the way his brows collapsed or how his smile fell away. The sudden halt of her shoes had her soles digging into the wet dirt beneath them. She blinked, once then twice. _What was that? Was I looking at him oddly?_

He made the move forward, the familiar touch of a firm grip on her arm. “Are you alright? I should have brought water.”

“No, I’m fine.” She stumbled back from the shock of the grip, the loosening of her wide eyes falling to her shoes. When he pulled his hand away she yelped, falling back onto her ass. Kieran wasn’t sure whether to chuckle or be concerned at her baffled expression. “What’s going on with you?” Hands on his hips, he quirked his head at the confusion written on her face.

Lauren grabbed for her arm, rubbing at the spot he gripped. _It feels like I got burned_. “You didn’t just see that?” 

“Hmm?” The familiar hum of his voice lulled her to a trance. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to contain the spins assaulting her senses. I _t was like sparks on a tether, the way he pulled back, like strings tied upon his fingers falling away from my skin...they sparkled, such a warm color._ “Maybe...I do need water.” 

“Uh huh, good thing I took the bottle from you.” He lifts his brow higher, clearly not convinced that she’s okay.

She sighed, picking herself up and dusting off the snow from her ass. “For once, I think you’re right, subordinate.” 

* * *

She knew things were weird when she started seeing Kieran as an angel. It was another thing when she started seeing those bright flimsy tethers parading off his jacket like they owned the place. Like living tendrils of light squirming around in the air upon his arms and shoulders.

_What in the ever living god is happening to me?_

He halted to a stop and she slammed roughly into his back with a gasp. The silly tendrils clung to her clothing and she yelped, skittering back without falling on her ass this time. He might as well have been a frying pan, the burning of the remainder of his touch still cooling down from his stupid stop in the middle of the maze.

“Don’t just stop in front of me like that! Move out of the way, I’m leading.” Lauren, by foolish instinct, pushed him out of the way and received another graciously hot pool of heat swarming along her palms at the press of them in his arm. He was busy staring at the sparkling ceiling of the night when she pushed him with more force than he had ever assumed she was capable of having. Stumbling away, he glared at her, pushing her back. Her arms reach out, pushing him back with more aggression before he can gather his bearings. They played their little dance, walking ahead with irritation snapping at their heels and the push of their arms slamming one another into the hedges if it meant they had a lead on who walked in front. Kieran dodged her as she prepared to shoulder slam him, whipping around her and ready to push her from behind, but stopped suddenly, watching as his secret flask came barreling out of his coat pocket and onto the wet fresh snow. With a disgruntled shocking gasp, Lauren stumbled back and her hands fell to her hips. "Oh my god. You took my bottle and yet, here you are Mr. I'll be sober by time we're done."

Kieran’s eyes widened, as if she had grown a third head. "Of course I brought a flask! You want me to walk around out here in the cold without it, along with the terrorizing monkey, Kym Ladell?"

Lauren couldn’t express how much more appalled she was, a laugh of disbelief curling from her throat. “Did you just call my best friend a monkey!?”

“Yeah, and you, the hyena.” Kieran pointed to her, analyzing her like some specimen. 

“Why am I a hyena!?” 

Kieran laughs in her blissful unknowing, taking a long chug from the flask while walking backwards, glowing gems of cerulean staring her down. Lauren trudges forward, sauntering toward him with the frustration on the tips of her fingers. It doesn’t help that his very stare is a taunt but those annoyingly cute tendrils dangling about off his shoulders are even more so. She had to get that flask from him, she was starting to worry Kym’s concoction wasn’t the best idea after all. 

"Give it here." Lauren goes to reach for it, but Kieran chuckles, raising it high above his head and staring down at her with pure amusement. Lauren jumps in protest, grabbing his shoulder for leverage and watching as the tendrils slip gracefully between her fingers. He stumbles back against the hedges laughing and trying to keep it out of reach but her body falls forward as he tilts back, and the officer goes smashing against him in the attempt to pull his arm down. She shouts out, "Give it here! This stuff tastes too good to let you enjoy it all for yourself!” Her excuse wasn’t the best, but how was she supposed to explain what she was even seeing? Maybe it was all the sleep deprivation catching up with her. 

"No way, this is mine." Kieran pulled it down, turning around and cradling it. She tried to get around his back but he held tight. With an angry growl, she pushed off the ground to hop onto his back. His shoulders were too broad, causing her to tilt off him and have them both crashing into the hedges. They laid there huffing, now tangled up in wires and lights and a little more snow beneath her shirt than she warranted. She's pushed back down by the weight of Kieran's arms wrapped around her head. She felt the cold press of the flask upon the back of her neck and froze at their promiscuous position. She squirms in retaliation, secured tight within his hold. “You’ve had more than enough I’d say,” he states with some snark.

Lauren wiggled in his hold again, and reluctantly, he lets go, only for her to rub against him in a struggle. He shifts, fighting the wires and lights wrapped along their limbs and all the while he can’t help but release the chuckle over their ridiculous situation. “Quite the predicament, darling.”

With a groan, Lauren squirmed against his warmth. “Oh, shut up. Where’s your knife? I’ll cut the wire, my one hand is free enough.” She eyes her hand wiggling free beneath the constraints. 

“Hmm...” Kieran clears his throat and can’t hide the smile pushing along his cheeks.

“Well?” 

His eyes trail down to the center of his body, avoiding her impatient gaze. “I only brought one, it’s uh, strapped to my thigh.” 

He waits for her brain to catch up. **“** Oh...um…” Lauren exhausts her efforts of breaking free, beginning to feel Kieran against her for far too long. “Okay, which leg?” 

“Left.”

Lauren nods, ready to reach for his right leg. 

“My left.” 

He receives a scowl from her, and he laughs, smiling on at the situation in delight.

"Stop laughing, you're making me lose concentration."

"Concentration on how you're going to get that knife strapped to my thigh?" He adjusts himself, part of his knee pushing upward and splitting apart her legs. She snarls, adjusting herself on top of him and pulling her constrained hand far enough up the middle of his leg to reach the buttons on his pants. 

"I got this, subordinate."

Lauren carefully plucked the buttons from the constraints, eyes neither on him or her current work while she tugged her way to easier access. Her frigid fingers easily find their way down his smooth skin, stopping at the feel of something large and rigid. The clash of surprise molded in gold and blues of mischief come together.

 **“Darling, that isn’t the knife.”** His grin so devilish it makes her fume from embarrassment. Her eyes shine with something keen but it fades quickly at his joke, her work being resumed with nonchalance and a little more confidence than before. Kieran hears the slow unsheathing of his precious weapon, a low stutter of his breath trapping itself in his throat as the cold steel glides up along his bare thigh until it reaches his precious cargo. “Lauren...seriously, be careful,” Kieran states nervously, his body rigid as stone and his eyes wide as a frightened deer. She giggles, but it isn’t light and soft, it’s dark and haunting. It’s _terrifying._ “Oh? Are you scared?”

"Any man would be." He admits truthfully. Lauren perks an innocent smile, gliding the blade gently over his boxers to reach his hips. 

“Hey! Those were expensive…” he snaps.

She rolls her eyes, pulling the knife from his pants and getting to work on cutting the wires. Lauren wiggles free upon him, cutting loose his limbs and standing to dust herself off. Her burst of giggles has him gazing up at her. He’s still sprawled out upon the ground as her eyes roam over his unbuttoned pants lazily hanging over his hips and when their eyes meet, she’s the first to look away, the laughter already gone from the air but her shy smile still bashfully present. Kieran hands her the flask and she obliges, returning his knife to him, taking a drink and turning away to let him return his blade to its rightful place. When she’s about to place the flask snug in her pocket, he slips an arm around her waist to surprise her, his other hand snatching the flask as he places a gentle kiss on her cheek and swerving away from her. 

“Haha, successfully distracted! You’re easier than I thought, Sinclair.” The way his brows perk and the glint in his eye calling her forth has her snarling. It doesn’t help what she can see happening before her, as the tendrils of vines coated in light parade and swing around in glee upon his shoulder as if to taunt her all the same. Her feet stomp toward him, an expression of absolute disbelief befalling the officer and her snapping glare reaching him. “Did---Did you just call me easy!?” He doesn’t respond, turning away from her and ditching into a run. 

Lauren’s hot on his heels, the blinding of the lights passing her by. She makes the mistake of not expecting him to slam to a halt like always, but falls into it anyway, not bothering to skid to a stop and instead barreling into him from behind, but he turns in time to catch her as they roughly fall with a thud to the cold terrain. 

“Ah! Fuck, Lauren. Just kick me next time.” He coughs from the shock, head falling to the snow with a thump. She groans in response, pushing up and rolling off him to slam into the snow. “You stopped suddenly _again_ , so I figured a body slam was easier than trying to stop.” Lauren gains her bearings, their escape from the linear hedges and frustratingly bright lights left behind when she takes in the scenery. A large circular enclosure hosts the lamp lights and trickled koi ponds off to her left. A large willow tree presides over the pond in a cool comfort and blankets a bench free of snowfall. Her head shoots to her partner at the sound of his gentle laugh.

"What is it?" 

"This isn't a maze." His smile widens, body shooting up off the ground in a sway and dusting the snow from his jacket. "It's a labyrinth. We got to the center."

"What?...Wait, Kym had it wrong?"

Kieran smiles. Hands in his pockets as he sways on over to the bench she admired before. "I guess so. I must really be tipsy for not noticing." 

"I don't get the difference." Lauren admits, plopping down beside him and rubbing her hands together. 

"You can't get lost in a labyrinth. Eventually, you'll end up somewhere." He’s smiling, it’s more dazzling than the night sky he’s admiring, it adds to the comfort of his breath tangling into the air and the way he’s tightly bundled up from being in the snow. Lauren turns away, mumbling just loud enough for him to hear. "I guess that means we'll see them sooner or later." Ambers of curiosity settle on the space between their hands upon the bench, glimpsing up at his unsuspecting eyes and dropping the heavy weight of them back down. Her hand reaches out, slipping above his to clasp their fingers together. Her mumble is all but a whisper now. “Is this what the acting requires?” 

Kieran laughs and looks her way, reciprocating her touch and squeezing her hand. “Yes, mon amour.” 

Her finger twitches at the memory at _his apartment._ “About earlier…”

She feels the tightened grip on her hand, “It won’t happen again, don’t worry about that.”

“Actually, we never really got to...um practice.” She twirls her hair, feeling his look of astonishment. Lauren senses his confusion, clearly prepared to put it all behind them before it even began. “You...you want to continue?” His tone was nervous and even naïve. 

She can’t answer with her words, of what words she can find to express how she feels in the moment, instead focusing on her right hand fidgeting away with her crimson locks and turning her eyes anywhere but him. In response, her hand squeezes his in the silence they’ve created. The two finally meet their gazes, a thought no longer present the moment she’s leaning in and his free hand is tangling in her soft cold locks and the smell of a fire and fresh snow coursing them together. The cold stillness of the air makes the heat of their closeness so much more irresistible, and Lauren can’t find the ability to close her eyes this time, instead absorbed in the way his gentle gaze wraps her up. His breath smells like the leftover sweetened alcohol she dare not drink more of. It causes her lashes to flutter and her nerves to spread out on display for him. When he closes his eyes, she follows. The anticipation too much to bear. Their lips brush lightly but neither of them move, different from before, but a simple first kiss nonetheless. Kieran’s hand instinctively tightens in her hold and she squeezes back, unsure on how to continue. 

The squeal of Kym has them separating, Kieran pulling away to shoot his gaze toward them with a look of irritation. Lauren turns away, hiding her face behind his shoulder, the tiny groans of embarrassment fueling his love for her. _T_ _hat 's the second time now!_

Kym slyly sauntered forward, her eyebrows wiggling in glee and her smile brighter than the obnoxious set up they were surrounded by. “Oh, hey _you guys.”_ She giggled madly, practically falling into Will’s arms on the way over to Lauren. When her friends come closer she stands abruptly, pushing back the loose strands of hair and feigning nonchalance. 

“Kym! Will! You guys found your way.” The look of surprise on Will’s face doesn’t go unnoticed, Kieran clearing the air with a chuckle and standing to straighten his jacket.

With a sigh, Kieran slings back the locks littered with snow and some dirt even, watching the way Kym teased the woman he adored. _And almost made another mistake with._ It seemed not only was the catalyst a trend, but his very own choices as well.

And both were going to spell karma for him sooner or later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, so who wants to yell at Kym, cause girl that is the SECOND TIME. Hunny no!
> 
> Oh, boy. Things are about to get interesting now that they've crossed the barrier between real and fiction.
> 
> Thanks for bearing with my updates! If you talk to me regularly, you know I suffer with writers block randomly and severe chronic pain. Most of the time it's the pain that prevents my brain from being able to think properly!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Lemme know your thoughts ^.^

**Author's Note:**

> 🙈🙈🙈


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